I Think I Wanna Marry You
by english5672
Summary: It's a beautiful night, We're lookin' for something dumb to do, Hey Baby, I think I wanna marry you. Gadge. Set in the Hot For Teacher universe.


**A/N: Hey all! Here is a fluffy little Gadge one-shot that's been in my head for a couple of months now. This takes place in the HFT universe, about four years after the epilogue. Spoiler Alert: the one-shot I'm working on for S2SL takes places immediately following this one-shot.**

**Thank you to soamazinghere for beta-ing this for me so quickly and for all of you love and support! Follow her on tumblr at .com.**

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"_Tonight maybe we'll just have leftover lasagna… I don't think it'll be good tomorrow, so we should probably try and finish it up tonight,"_ Madge thinks as she ties the laces of her athletic shoes.

A wolf whistle interrupts Madge's train of thought, but before she has a chance to turn around, she hears, "If you stay home tonight, you can take off those shorts and I'll give you a good workout."

Madge rolls her eyes as she finishes tying her shoelaces and stands upright from her previously bent over position. "Geez, can you stop thinking about sex for maybe two minutes," she playfully asks as she begins to stretch, readying herself for her run. Gesturing to her boyfriend's suit, she asks, "I thought you wanted to run with me?"

Gale moves from his position leaning against the doorframe and enters the bedroom he shares with Madge. "I do, I was just admiring the view first," he says with a wink.

Even thought they've been together for almost four years now, Madge can't help but blush at her boyfriend's comment. "Alright, alright. How about I get some water bottles ready while you change," she calls over her shoulder as she begins walking towards their kitchen.

"Wait!" Gale shouts as he awkwardly hurries after her with his pants around his ankles. Madge gives him a quizzical look, to which he sheepishly replies, "I made you a new playlist for our run - I want to put it on your phone."

Madge looks pleasantly surprised as she goes to her purse and retrieves her phone. "Here you go. Thanks, babe," she says, her hand lightly trailing down his arm as she gives him a chaste kiss. Gale looks flustered as she pulls away.

"Sure…sure thing, Madge," he stutters as she pulls away.

Madge gives him a searching look, her eyes squinting slightly as she looks him up and down. "Are you alright? Gale, are you blushing?"

"No!" he shouts quickly as he makes his way back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

"_That's weird,"_ Madge thinks to herself. Unable to figure out the cause of her boyfriend's strange behavior, she fills their water bottles and places them in the freezer until they return from their workout. Madge smiles happily as she thinks of how far she's come in her workouts. What started as something she did just to make sure she didn't go up a dress size has transformed into a pursuit that she actually finds herself looking forward to. She still isn't a big fan of the running itself, but she enjoys the time she gets to spend with Gale and occasionally Katniss, and the playlists help make it more interesting for her. Before, her roommate was solely responsible for her playlist creation, but when Madge moved out of the house she shared with Katniss, Finnick, and Annie, and into the one-bedroom apartment she now shares with Gale, Gale had to become her workout DJ. While he often forgets to update the playlists, and his taste in music is a little different from what she would prefer (honestly, Gale, who wants to listen to hipsters whining to ukulele music while they run?), she appreciates his efforts.

Madge looks up at the clock above their fireplace. "Are you ready yet?"

"Almost!" he shouts from the bedroom.

Impatient and ready to go, Madge walks into their bedroom. As she opens the door she sees Gale dressed in his workout clothes and hunched over their computer. "What are you doing?" she asks.

"Nothing!" he says as he quickly minimizes iTunes.

"It's okay if you don't have a playlist for me, you just made me a new one a couple days ago that I really like, I don't mind-"

"No," he interrupts. "This one I made special…I want you to have it for today's run."

Madge scrunches her face as she looks at him closely. "Oh, um, okay. I'll just wait for you in the living room until you're ready. You know it's almost six o'clock, right? The sun's going to set soon."

"It's almost six o'clock? Shit!" Gale jumps up quickly from the desk. "Okay, I'll be ready in a minute," he says as he shoos her out of the room.

Gale shuts the bedroom door in Madge's face, and she slowly turns as she heads to the living room to try and make sense of her boyfriend's strange behavior. Normally she would text Katniss or even Finnick, but Gale has her phone. Making a mental note to get in touch with her friends when she gets back from her run, Madge stands as she hears gale emerge from the bedroom.

"Okay, let's go!" Gale says cheerfully as he hands Madge her iPhone.

"Finally!" she says playfully. "If I trip over something because it's too dark outside for me to see, you're carrying me home, Hawthorne!"

"Duly noted," he replies with a wink.

Madge puts her headphones on and reaches out to grab her phone from Gale's hands. "Ew, it's all sweaty! What were you doing in there, weirdo?"

Gale blushes again, and shrugs. "Sorry, I guess my hands are a little sweaty," he mutters.

Once the door to the apartment is locked, Madge and Gale begin a slow jog to warm up. Madge pushes play on her playlist and is immediately met with an acoustic version of "I'll Be" by Howie Day. "Oh, I love this one," she says with a warm smile.

"I know," Gale responds quietly.

As they exit their apartment complex, Madge begins to move left so they can continue their usual route, but Gale cuts her off. "Let's go right today. We can jog through the park."

Madge purses her lips, knowing that a jog through the park will add at least another mile and a half to their workout. Gale must sense her hesitancy, because he adds, "If we need a break, we can always walk around the lake, and then pick up the run after. Please? It'll be fun."

Gale looks so desperate to go this way that Madge can't help but acquiesce. "Okay," she agrees.

Relieved, Gale decides to ask what song she's on. "'More Than Anyone' by Gavin DeGraw is finishing up… Oh, I really love this version of 'Can't Help Falling in Love!'" She gushes. "This is quite the romantic playlist."

Gale looks proud for a moment before a panicked look crosses his face. "How about we pick up the pace a little?" he suggests as he begins to run a little faster, not bothering to wait for a response.

Madge gives a frustrated huff as she tries to keep up with her boyfriend. He wants to add another mile and a half to their workout _and_ pick up the pace? Is he _trying_ to kill her?

For a few minutes they run in relative silence, save for the sound of their heavy breathing and shoes slapping the pavement. Only a couple more minutes pass before Gale asks, "What song are you on now?"

Madge side-eyes Gale. "'Come With Me.' You must be pretty proud of this playlist if you keep asking me what song I'm on," she replies, hoping to force an answer out of him.

Gale smiles tightly. "Yep, it's a good one," he says somewhat distractedly.

The sky begins to move into the reds and oranges of the sunset. Gale opens his mouth again, but Madge cuts him off. "'A Thousand Years' is on now."

Gale visibly swallows as he nods his head. The couple turns onto the next street as they see the park approaching. "Wanna sprint to the lake?" he asks.

Madge sputters. "Whatare you, nuts?"

"Come on, it'll be fun! Race you!" Gale takes off and Madge shouts his name in frustration as he speeds ahead of her. Groaning, she begins to sprint in an attempt to catch up to Gale, breathing so laboriously that she can barely even hear Bruno Mars begin to sing "Marry You."

Gale slows a little as he waits for her to catch up. "How are you doing, babe?"

Madge glares at him as they begin to walk around the lake. It takes her a moment to get her breathing under control. "Geez, Gale, you act like we're in a rush or something!"

"Whatare you talking about?" he asks as he pushes her along the path, not even looking at her as he seems to search for something in the distance.

"Stop it, Gale! This is too much, I need to slow down!"

"I'm just trying to get a good workout in!"

"Even if it kills me in the process? Jesus Christ! Why are you running like a madman?" she huffs out exasperatedly.

"What song are you on," he asks quickly.

Madge, who had tuned out most of the previous song, begins to listen more closely. She furrows her brow as she takes in the words of the song. "'Marry Me,' by Train," she mutters.

Gale smiles as his chest begins to heave, and takes her hand as they walk. "Oh?"

Madge doesn't know why, but she feels herself begin to tear up. "This is quite the romantic playlist," she repeats.

"Mmhmm," he agrees. As they pass through a clearing, Madge is surprised to see their friends waiting for them, although none of them seem very surprised to see Gale and Madge coming towards them. She notes that Katniss is clutching Peeta's arm and is trying to hide her smile while Finnick clutches Annie's hand, looking like he is about to pass out. Behind them stand the Hawthornes, Hazelle looking as if she'll burst into tears at any moment. Her cousin Glimmer is bouncing in place while her parents look on, beaming.

_Together can never be close enough for me_

_To feel like I am close enough to you_

_You wear white and I'll wear out the words "I love you"_

_And you're beautiful_

_Now that the wait is over_

_And love has finally shown her my way_

_Marry me_

_Today and every day_

"Gale, what's going on?" Madge whimpers, tears now running freely down her face.

Gale takes her earbuds out and gently places her phone in his pocket before he grabs both of her hands and leans in for a kiss. The kiss is sweet and slow, but hints at an underlying passion. When they break apart, Gale slowly kneels to the ground. "Madge, I love you. So, so much. I know you've known we would end up together for a while now, and I'm so grateful you were patient enough to wait for me to catch up." Gale visibly gulps before continuing. "But I'm all caught up, and now that I am, I know that I'll never let you go."

Madge is openly sobbing and she knows the mixture of tears, snot, and spit can't be attractive, but she just can't pull herself together. Gale smiles nervously as he lets go of her right hand, reaching into the pocket of his shorts to pull out a small box. "Madge, please be my wife. Let me be the one to make you happy, for always, forever. Marry me."

Madge nods and her friends erupt in cheers as Gale stands to hug her fiercely to him. The small group soon swarms them. She vaguely notices that Finnick is shouting happily in her ear, but she doesn't register exactly what he's saying. All she can focus on is Gale, sweaty and shaking, as he crushes her into his body. She knows that at some point they'll have to let go of each other. Eventually, she'll have to get engulfed in hugs that'll probably knock the air out of her lungs. Eventually, she'll have to go home and show her mother and her cousin her engagement ring. Eventually, she'll have to convince her friends to go wedding dress shopping with her. But for right now, Madge contents herself with burying her head in her fiancé's chest, not minding the sweat and the smell one bit.

Because right now, she has everything she'll ever need.


End file.
